2022 - 2023 Competition Themes

This years themes are exciting because they provide a great learning experience for newer photographers and a creative challenge for those with more experience. Many thanks to Ginia Apostolacus for these topics!

September 2022: Negative Space

Negative space photography situates subjects within their surroundings in dramatic ways that tell a story using blank space and emptiness. Negative space photography is related to minimalist photography. It emphasizes not just the subject, but the empty space around the subject. The viewer’s eyes may be drawn to a central figure, but they can’t help noticing the large section of emptiness that surrounds and defines that figure. The emptiness (whatever form it takes) gives definition and emphasis to the subject. “If the model or the performer is the noun,” says photographer Jimmy Marble, “the negative space is the adjective.”

See - https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/negative-space-photography.html

https://pixelcurse.com/photography/35-great-examples-of-using-negative-space-in-photography

October 2022: Reflections

Reflection photography involves photographing reflections of any kind. You can use common reflective surfaces for perfect reflections. But you’re also free to create partial reflections or muddy reflections using less reflective surfaces, or by photographing only a sliver of the reflection.

See - https://www.photoworkout.com/reflection-photography/

https://www.thephotoargus.com/amazing-examples-of-reflection-photography/

November 2022: Repetition

Repetition in photography means using repeating shapes or a repetitive pattern inside the frame as part of the composition. Repetition can also be the image’s main subject instead of just being a tool for photography composition. When this is the case, it’s called pattern photography.

See - https://shotkit.com/repetition-photography/

https://gurushots.com/article/36-beautiful-examples-of-repetition-patterns-in-photography

January 2023: Bird’s Eye View

Birds eye view photography is a point of view in photography in which the image is photographed from the top. So, it is a completely different perspective and the picture will be like seeing a scene from a bird’s eye, flying or perched, hence the name. Some will say that pictures taken from the top at a 90-degree angle correspond to this style. But, the angle of view need not be exactly 90 degrees. It can be something else also, but the viewpoint must be from the top. This point of view in photography is also referred to as bird view photography. This photography style is mostly used by landscape and architecture photographers. It is the exact opposite of the worms eye view photography.

See - https://www.photographyaxis.com/photography-articles/birds-eye-view-photography/

See also:

https://shotkit.com/birds-eye-view/

https://digital-photography-school.com/weekly-photography-challenge-birds-eye-view/

February 2023: Soft Focus

Soft focus photography is a technique used to capture images that reduces the contrast of fine detail in the image. Soft focus can also utilize a lens flaw where the lens forms blurred images due to spherical aberration. Spherical aberration is an optical issue that occurs when incoming rays of light focus at different points after passing through a spherical lens.

See - https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-soft-focus-photography/

https://lensbaby.com/blogs/creative-photography/soft-focus-photography-timing

March 2023: Composite

Composite photography refers to images created by combining elements from two or more images. It has been an art form employed by photographers long before Photoshop and digital editing was even a twinkle in Adobe’s eye. Famous photographers from the Victorian age were already manipulating photos to create incredible, fantastical scenes. Composite photography involves assembling multiple pictures or elements into one final composition, with many creative outcomes available. Levitating subjects, depiction of the passage of time, cloning an object, and superimposing unlikely elements together are all examples of artistic composite photography.

See - https://www.peerspace.com/resources/composite-photography/

https://www.pagecloud.com/blog/composite-photography

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/photo-composition.html

https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/5-fun-photographic-composites-and-how-to-create-one--cms-27489

April 2023: Still Life

Throughout its long history, still life has taken many forms, from the decorative frescoes of antiquity to the high art of the Renaissance. Traditionally, a still life is a collection of inanimate objects arranged as the subject of a composition. Nowadays, a still life can be anything from your latest Instagram latte art to a vase of tulips styled like a Dutch Golden Age painting. Creating a beautiful and successful still life image is an impressive feat, but just as painting a bowl of fruit is a good introduction for new painters, still life photography is a wonderful training ground for new photographers. It gives you an opportunity to experiment with light, materials, textures, and subjects in a controlled setting. Whatever your creative vision and artistic goals, still life is a great place to start.

See - https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/still-life-photography.html

https://www.thephotoargus.com/35-superb-examples-of-still-life-photography/

May 2023: Unusual Point of View

Point of View refers to the position from which the camera sees the "scene." This is important to consider since this directly changes the position from which the viewer sees the scene as well. Changing the point of view can drastically change the look of a photograph. It can add drama and interest to an other wise ordinary scene, or can convey deeper meaning to your images.

See - https://scienceofphotography.weebly.com/point-of-view.html